Hot Wheels and Matchbox Customizing Thread

[photonrider]

@ jtl46 Great work, John! I see you initiate beautiful realities. Kudos.


Amazing work, maestros!

http://athobbies.blogspot.ca/2013/03/key-organizer-roll-out.html

Nice M3 guys!!!! , a picture will never look as good as the real car

In fact, the real real cars look a lot worse than the . . . um, real cars. Pictures of diecasts are always hugely blown-up as compared to the real car's size - so under that magnification a huge number of flaws appear. This is why macro diorama photography uses a lot of judicious blurring.
Or . . . if you want it on a silver salver - 'bokeh'.

I would imagine you guy's cars look absolutely like little Faberge eggs IRL.

Well, best of luck to all who entered; dang, there was a lot of work put in there - and may the best man win.
If you lose - sell the car! Make another one.

 

[SVX]

This guy's work is amazing. Long time follower. 👍

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=65285&hl=

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=63947&hl=

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=63748&hl=

 

[photonrider]

^ That's just too awesome for words. Notice he even draws the dividing line on the rear tail-lights - between reverse lights, and trafficators. That's detailing!.

 

[jtl46]

This guy's work is amazing. Long time follower. 👍

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=65285&hl=

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=63947&hl=

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=63748&hl=

Funny you posted that. Mark is one of the Lamley Custom Contest judges. We revealed them today:

An update on the Lamley Custom Contest, plus we reveal the judges...

http://lamleydlm.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-lamley-custom-contest-update-plus.html

 

[Agathor]

Hi guys, Im new here. I would just like to let yas know that you do great jobs customizing. I just started and I will be honest, I am not that good. I am proud of a stock car that I just completed, except for a few minor flaws. I have a question though, what standard size drill bit do I use for drilling out the rivets? (Note that all Ive done is on frame repaintings.)

 

[CodeRedR51]

All info you need to know is in the first post of this thread. Tools, paints, etc. 👍

 

[Agathor]

I knew most, I read it yesterday. But thanks, I just needed bit sizes. Im currently working on a C6 Corvette. I'll have to create a flickr or photoshop so I can post pics. Ill post the stock car too, when I get the chance.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Bit sizes are there too:

Drill bits for metal - 3/16" and 1/16" or #50

 

[AOS-]

Holy crap, guys. There were SEVENTY-ONE submissions for that Lamley contest.

I have a feeling I won't make it to top 10, guys. I forgot to make the design presentation poster that may have been what I needed to influence the judges to think highly of my submission.

 

[Agathor]

Thank you R1600, that was really helpful!

Edit:

Here are my first three cars, all of them on frame repaints:

1999 Stock Car
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agathorcustom/8604499671/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agathorcustom/8604499741/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agathorcustom/8604499837/in/photostream/

Olds Aurora GTS-1
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agathorcustom/8604499923/in/photostream/

Rear of the '69 Firebird
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agathorcustom/8604499985/in/photostream/

 

[McZachenF1138]

Has anyone figured out how to disassemble co-moulded wheels?

 

[CodeRedR51]

I don't think that's possible.

 

[AOS-]

I'm not even sure what you mean by that. You mean separate the tires from the wheels on CM6s? For what purpose, so you can fit rubber tires on them?

Thank you R1600, that was really helpful!

Edit:

Here are my first three cars, all of them on frame repaints:

Not bad for a first. Seems like black is a popular choice!

 

[McZachenF1138]

Yeah, I suppose so. I was just mainly wondering if it could be done.

 

[Agathor]

Not bad for a first. Seems like black is a popular choice!

Thank you. Yeah, I like black. But my white and red are complete junk. Now I gotta go get some primer and more matte and gloss black. Also, I gotta get a new Testors red, as it is in terrible condition, and my black spilled all over inside the box.

Edit:

As I said before I was working on a C6 Corvette, and I am happy to say, it's done! I didn't do the greatest job on it because I had to strip the paint and repaint it after one of my stencils failed me and the design on the hood ended up looking like the hood on the 1999 Stock Car.

C6 Corvette:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agathorcustom/8607814473/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agathorcustom/8607814639/in/photostream/

With the GT3, the Tampos were off terribly, and I was going to give it to my nephew for his 5th birthday, but I just had the itch to fix the tampos, and I figured, Ill just go buy him a different car. Anyways, here is the detailing I did. In the last photo, I painted the exhaust silver.

Porsche 911 GT3 RS - Detailed:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agathorcustom/8607814731/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agathorcustom/8607814825/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agathorcustom/8607815033/in/photostream/

Let me know what you think of my on frame repaints. I just started with this about a week ago, so I am not really good. But I am proud and I have learned alot already. Even my fiance' just painted graphics on a '70 Road Runner that I repainted.

'70 Road Runner
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agathorcustom/8609023326/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agathorcustom/8609023412/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agathorcustom/8609023494/in/photostream/

I hope you guys like her work. She painted the car for our daughter, as it will be her first car when she is old enough to not put the cars in her mouth.

 

[AOS-]

Yeah, I suppose so. I was just mainly wondering if it could be done.

Not that I know of. I would just sand off the plastic tires until the rubbers fit.

 

[Cano]

Not that I know of. I would just sand off the plastic tires until the rubbers fit.

Precisely.

 

[AOS-]

Progress

 

[VspecZR1GT2RS89]

Not bad at all. Keep up the work Andy. 👍

 

[CodeRedR51]

Precisely.

Easier said than done.

 

[Cano]

Yeah, absolutely. I still have to try my hand at it but I will eventually, now that I have practically unlimited access to rubber tires. I'll show you al soon.

Also, the gassers of both Ahmed and I are tampoed and painted, and came out better than we thought. Now comes the assembly process heading towards next weekend's meeting. I'm also gonna take the Morris Wagon you sent me AOS, with a nice wheelswap and some detailing. I'll post pics later today.

 

[AOS-]

Easier said than done.

That too. I've tried shrinking the wheel width with that hole digging dremel bit with that last M3. I figured it would give me consistency if I let the wheel spin, but that make the bit skip over the surface more than I expected. As a result, I got etched patterns. I could've kept going, but the wheel spun so fast the mushroom cap was able to burrow itself into the wheel from the friction/heat.

I think a plausible method is to sit a dremel with a sanding drum. Keep that stationary and you bring the wheel to the drum, except you put the wheel on a slant rather than aligning it parallel with the drum so you'll get the sand paper to wear away the wheel but at the same time the wheel can spin.

That's something I learned from shredding skateboard wheels when sliding.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Honestly you're better off just cutting the tire completely off and doing that metal tube method where you make a while new wheel.

 

[Cano]

Honestly you're better off just cutting the tire completely off and doing that metal tube method where you make a while new wheel.

The metal tubing is the problem here. I think you could potentially build a two-piece wheel using the barrel from other wheel, say, like the ones in the Jada BMW you sold me. You blast away the center of that wheel, then blast away the tire off whatever plastic wheel you want turned into a premium until it fits, and glue them together.

Of course, easier said than done. And expensive too. The mold process Ahmed and I are -procrastinatingly- investigating could come in handy doing this. Eventually you could have any wheel you want made into a rubber receiver, but the process would be pretty damn involved.

 

[AOS-]

Are you guys making your own mold setups or do you have plans on making a machine-grade mold ready to mass-production?

 

[Cano]

Are you guys making your own mold setups or do you have plans on making a machine-grade mold ready to mass-production?

No, it's as home made as can be. We've already looked around and the cheapest by far we've found a machined mold is around 200 bucks give or take. For EACH model of wheel, so eek. We've actually been quite dormant about the whole thing for a while now, altough there are still some wheel we want to replicate. None of them are Hot Wheels wheels anymore, though.

We're looking at some Jada stuff, some Matchbox cars, some Disney Cars things, and other goodies like that, along with making molds for just tires. We're pretty lazy, lol.

 

[AOS-]

New question for you. Cano.

That carbon fiber you did on your recent BMW, is that decal paper? If so, do you know of a solution to create a large decal? I'm talking a 11"x17" surface. It's for a different project but I figured I'd ask anyway.

 

[Cano]

For such a big surface, you could look for 3M's Dinoc Vinyl that very closely resembles carbon fiber.

Also, you're not gonna believe your Stealth Cobra, dude.

 

[CodeRedR51]

For such a big surface, you could look for 3M's Dinoc Vinyl that very closely resembles carbon fiber.

But then you would have a really big weave on a really small car. Would look out of place.

 

[Cano]

No no,but he is talking about a 11" x 17" surface. That is enormous lol.

I'd offer everyone the carbon texture I made, but I am still experimenting. The one you saw in the M3 was printed on white decal paper, which is good for flat surfaces but since it's way thicker than transparent decal paper, appyling it in tight sufraces (I tried to make the M3's wing in carbon) isn't as easy, as the paper doesn't folds as easily.

So I'll now try it with transparent paper. Thing is you have to paint the piece black first, but it could potentially lead to a better look. I'll report back when I'm done, I already have a car that will serve as a testbed.